Pune’s BJ Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital have decided to install rooftop solar panels to generate power, as its monthly power bill is around Rs 1 crore.
Dr Eknath Pawar, Dean of BJ Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital, said that an agency has been identified for installing rooftop solar panels in the main building of the college. “Usually we get electricity bills ranging from Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1 crore. This will help save at least Rs 8-10 lakh every month,” said Dr Pawar.
Dean said it will be installed in phases and initially a rooftop solar plant will be installed in the main building. According to Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) officials, the government medical college and hospital is one of the 14,209 consumers who chose to install rooftop solar panels.
Apart from various public service organizations, many consumers in the commercial and industrial sectors have chosen to install rooftop solar plants, resulting in a total generation capacity of up to 380 MW.
“Apart from reducing electricity bills, this is one of our clean energy initiatives,” said Dr Pawar. India has committed to increasing the share of installed capacity of electricity from non-fossil-fuel sources to 40% by 2030. Solar energy is one of the primary sources that can meet the target.
Power utility officials say rooftop solar plant projects offer many benefits, including the potential to lower electricity bills. Any excess energy produced can be sold back to the utility through a net metering system, according to union representatives. They have made many appeals to encourage the adoption of rooftop solar energy systems to contribute to a greener environment.
5,140 consumers install rooftop solar panels in Pune
Under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, 5,140 consumers installed rooftop solar panels in the Pune zone and received up to 300 units of free electricity.
MSEDCL’s Pune zone covers Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, Haveli, Mulshi, Velhe, Junnar, Ambegaon, Mawal and Khed, with a total of 37 lakh registered consumers, according to officials.
MSEDCL is expeditiously processing the applications submitted through its online application portal. “This process saves consumers from manual tasks like visiting field offices, obtaining application forms, and paying registration fees,” an official said.
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